What is foster care? Explaining the foster care system in the UK

What is foster care or fostering?

When babies, children or young people can’t be looked after by their own family, a local authority and fostering agency work together to provide them with someone suitable to look after them. Foster care, or fostering, is one option.

The child or young person will temporarily live with another person or family in their home. The foster carer or parent will go through an assessment process, complete specialist training courses and will be supervised, as well as receiving a weekly fostering allowance.

There are different types of foster care and they can be very short, or can continue for years. New parents who need support with their baby can also be placed in foster care so they can learn the skills they need and gain confidence. Learn more about the different types of foster care.

What is the role of a foster carer?

What is a foster carer? The roles and responsibilities of a foster parent are varied and demanding. They include:

Providing day-to-day care in a stable and supportive home environment
Working with social workers and other professionals to meet the needs of their child’s care plan
Acting as an advocate for their foster child in key meetings or appointments with social workers, healthcare professionals and teachers
Keeping records and create reports in relation to their child’s wellbeing and development
Providing specialist support for children with additional needs such as disabilities or challenging behaviour – carers receive specialist training for this
Helping their child to keep in contact with their birth parents and other family members through visits and communication

Use our quick appraisal tool to see if you can apply to be a foster carer. Check your eligibility

How does fostering work?

In the UK, local authorities have responsibility for making sure that each child receives the care they need. When a child’s parents can’t meet their needs, the local authority will place them in a suitable home. In some cases, they will decide that a foster home is the best option for the child and will work with a fostering agency to match the child with a foster family.

Once the child is placed in a foster home, the local authorities will continue to work with the foster carer to make sure that the child receives the support they need. They will continue to live with their foster family until they’re ready to return to their birth family or are old enough to leave care. Throughout their time in care they will usually continue to have contact with their birth family.

Foster carers work as part of the wider foster care system to provide the support that children need.

What is the foster system?

In the UK, the foster care system is made up of local authorities, fostering agencies, foster carers, social workers and regulatory bodies, alongside the child’s parents or other family members.

The local authority is responsible for making sure each child receives adequate care. When a child’s parents aren’t able to meet their care needs, the local authority is responsible for taking them into care and finding a suitable foster placement. The local authority has legal parental responsibility for children in foster care.
Fostering agencies can be run by the local authority or as independent agencies. Most local authorities work with independent agencies to help them find foster placements for the children in their care.
Foster carers can work directly for local authorities or for fostering agencies. In either case, foster carers will receive ongoing support, training, and a regular fostering allowance (payment). They are responsible for a child’s day-to-day care, but don’t have legal parental responsibility. This remains with the local authority and birth parents.
Social workers work for the local authority. They are responsible for identifying if a child needs to be taken into care and will work with the fostering agency to make sure that they find the right placement. They also work with foster carers on an ongoing basis to make sure the child and carer are receiving the support they need.
Regulatory bodies such as OFSTED play an important role in making sure that foster care agencies comply with the Fostering Regulations and National Minimum Standards. They do this through regular inspections of the agencies and their practices.
Birth parents (or other family members) often continue to have regular contact with their children while they are in care. In some cases, the foster care placement will be short-term until the parent is able to take care of their child again. In some other cases, particularly involving babies, the parent may also be fostered as part of a parent and child fostering placement that aims to teach them the skills they need to care for their child.

Why do children need fostering?

There are many reasons why children and young people need to be looked after by foster carers, and every single case is different. The myths that ‘families are always at fault’ and that ‘foster children are always difficult’ is untrue. Some people just need more help than others. As varied as the reasons are, there are 3 broad categories.

1. Periods of instability
Some families go through periods of instability due to difficult circumstances and need time apart to find a solution. Common factors include things like mental or physical health emergencies, medical conditions, family breakdown, learning difficulties, and substance dependencies.

2. Harm from family members
Parents may have failed to meet the basic needs of their child, caused them harm, or exposed them to inappropriate behaviour or risk. Fostering removes them from this environment to a safe place where they can thrive.
Abuse falls into five main groups: physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, and exposure to domestic violence. These can all have long-lasting effects, so foster children and their carers might need additional support.

3. Special needs
The parents of children with special needs occasionally need foster carers to take over so they can take a break. Respite care lets parents recuperate for a weekend, a couple of weeks, or during the school holidays.

Special needs fostering is a broad description – it includes learning disabilities, specific medical needs, severe disabilities and challenging behaviour. Only carers who have received specific training will be put forward for this type of care.

Foster carer or foster parent?

We don’t mind at all whether you want to call yourself a foster carer or a foster parent. Some people prefer ‘foster carer’ as they feel that the professional demands of the role aren’t quite reflected by ‘parent’. Others prefer ‘foster parent’ as they feel it reflects the nurturing side of their relationship with their foster child. Throughout this website, we use both terms.

Whether you call yourself a foster carer or a foster parent, you’re a vital part of our fostering community.

Everyone who fosters a child with National Fostering Group performs a highly skilled role that requires a professional approach and in-depth training. They are expected to contribute to meetings with other care professionals, follow care plans, and write reports on occasions when they are required. They are also paid for looking after foster children in recognition of their professional role.

Use our quick appraisal tool to see if you can apply to be a foster carer. Check your eligibility

Why foster?

Wondering if fostering could be for you? Our carers tell us fostering has changed their lives and the lives of the young people in their care.
In fact, it can be one of the most rewarding experiences a person can have. It provides the opportunity to make a real and positive difference in the lives of vulnerable children and young people, while also enriching your own life and family.

Here are some of the other reasons our carers choose to foster:

Professional development and training: our carers have access to 100s of free training courses, plus ongoing support from a specialist team. This means you’re continually learning and growing as a foster carer. Over time, you’ll also have the option to specialise in areas of foster care that particularly interest you.
Generous fostering allowance: fostering is a professional, paid role. The exact amount you’ll earn will depend on the type of placement you take on but we make sure our carers are financially well supported. We also provide you with a bridging payment so that you’re still earning, even when you’re between placements.
A career that fits around you: our foster carers come from all walks of life. This includes people who might find it difficult to work in traditional careers. For example, people with disabilities, or single parents who have to fit work around childcare responsibilities.

Learn more about who can foster.

Find more fostering information

National Fostering Group’s website has lots more fostering information to help you decide if fostering is for you.

Here are a few more topics you might find helpful:

Types of fostering – learn more about the different types of fostering placement and what might be right for you.
Can I foster? – take our quick and easy self-assessment quiz to learn if you could be eligible to foster a child.
Becoming a foster parent – learn about the process of becoming a foster carer.

What is fostering?